Le Clos primed for Paris after treading 'dark path'

Chad le Clos is South Africa's most decorated Olympian, with one gold and three silver medals, and will compete at his fourth Games in Paris

“I think it’s a very different Olympics for me than it was 12 years ago in London. This time around it’s a more mature, refined version of Chad.”

Chad le Clos has earned the right to speak in the third person.

The South African exploded into the public consciousness in 2012, beating Michael Phelps to gold by 0.05 seconds and denying the American giant a third successive Olympic title in the 200m butterfly.

With three silver medals also to his name, Le Clos is his country’s most decorated Olympian.

Now at his fourth Games, the 32-year-old remains as hungry as ever for success as he begins his bid for a medal in the 100m butterfly on Friday.

“It would mean everything. It would be up there with my biggest achievements,” he told BBC World Service Sport.

“I haven’t had the greatest long course success over the last few years, but I’m a history-maker. I’ve always defied the odds.”

Le Clos’ initial goal is to progress all the way to the final at the Paris La Defense Arena.

However, he believes the heats themselves will be “crazy hard” given the number of swimmers who have gone under 51 seconds.

“I need to be on my game and then have the biggest race of my life in the semi-final, because I believe the semi-finals will be harder than the final,” he added.

“Anyone in the top 12 can win a medal.

“There will be guys sat watching the final thinking ‘I could’ve got that bronze, I could’ve got that silver’. I don’t want to be one of those guys.”

Rebuilding after Tokyo

Le Clos said the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics "felt like nothing" to him after struggling with his mental health in the months before the Games

Le Clos is hoping to improve on his performances in Toyko, where he finished fifth in the 200m butterfly and failed to reach the semi-finals of the 100m.

“It was actually a very successful Games considering what I went through,” he explained.

“The truth is Toyko was really difficult because Covid derailed me. I went on a darker path and without being with my team for nine, 10 months.

“A couple things happened outside the pool which changed the path of my life, to the negative. It took me a while to get myself out of that - almost two years - to get back to where Chad was supposed to be, mentally.”

Le Clos, who won his first global titles in 2010, first spoke of his mental struggles in 2022 after clinching a record-equalling 18th medal at the Commonwealth Games.

It took professional support, including psychology sessions, to “rebuild” himself.

“Life is a lot harder now than it was 12 years ago,” he said.

“There was no expectation - the problems come when you realise what’s really on the line, in some respects.

“I swam for my family, my coach and my country. And then Rio (2016) came along and I got pulled in 100 directions [with] sponsors and pressure from the country.

“I think I’m trying to bring myself back to that youngster that was just happy and grateful to be there, to be in the arena. Racing the best in the world is what I truly love.”

It is fair to ask, then, whether competing at these Olympics in Paris was ever in doubt.

“No, never,” he replied.

“Even in my darkest moments, there was always a flicker of light. There were always moments where I believed that it was going to be ok.

“Finally, when I came out of this depression, I was swimming like I was in the past, and life became better in every sense.”

The veteran leader

Le Clos beat the great Michael Phelps (left) and Japan's Takeshi Matsuda (right) to top the podium in the 200m butterfly at London 2012

Le Clos is the unquestioned leader of the eight-strong South African swimming team, down from 17 entrants in Tokyo three years ago.

It could be interpreted as a worrying trend – but it is one which he attributes to the higher standards of racing worldwide rather than a drop in standards in his homeland.

“I’d say the times have got a lot harder. From the 50m to the 1500m, the times are crazy fast,” he said.

“I won silver in the 100m butterfly 12 years ago in 51.4 seconds. I think the qualifying time today is 51.5 seconds.”

Yet Le Clos is confident he and his teammates can make a lasting impression in the pool in the French capital - particularly with Tatjana Smith (nee Schoenmaker) back to defend her 100m and 200m breaststroke titles and Pieter Cotze and Matthew Sates highly rated.

Looking to challenge in Paris

Le Clos finished fifth in the 100m butterfly final at the world championships in Doha in February, clocking a time of 51.48 seconds

In preparation for his own shot at glory, two years ago Le Clos uprooted his life and moved to Frankfurt, Germany, to train under prominent coach Dirk Lange.

It has not all been smooth sailing, as last week the 32-year-old revealed he had suffered from a small torn muscle in his shoulder in early July, from which he has since recovered.

“I'm lucky to have amazing doctors and physios in the national team,” he said on the eve of the Games.

However, acclimatising to life in Europe proved difficult.

“It’s been great for me in terms of swimming, but very challenging outside of swimming,” he said.

“It’s just a different culture than what I’m used to in South Africa, but I’ve enjoyed the journey that I’ve been on the last two years.

“I think I’ve found myself again. It’s good to be back on my feet and competing for the right reasons.”

Le Clos won his most recent world title in 2017, in the 200m butterfly in Hungary, and his record of being South Africa’s most decorated Olympian could soon be under threat by Smith.

He has still not ruled out competing at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles but, for now, he aims “to be in the mix” among a competitive field in Paris.

“I just want to be in the final really and challenge these big boys,” he said.

“Being on the podium again would be an unbelievable achievement at this point of my career.”